Ancient woodlands reveal how ecological restoration can reverse industrial-era water pollution in postcolonial landscapes
Original framing: “Fossilised pollen reveals how forests can protect Lough Neagh and other waterways” — The Conversation - Global
Local farmers and fisherfolk around Lough Neagh—many of whom are working-class and Protestant—are often framed as 'polluters' rather than stakeholders in restoration. Women in rural communities, who traditionally managed household water sources, have little input in these discussions. The *Lough Neagh Fishermen’s Co-operative* has long warned that 'rewilding' could disrupt their livelihoods, yet their concerns are sidelined in favour of academic and NGO-led narratives. True restoration requires centring these voices in decision-making.
The fossil pollen study is not a neutral scientific discovery but a product of a colonial legacy that erased Indigenous knowledge and imposed industrial land use.
The real systemic issue is that 'rewilding' is framed as a technical solution to a crisis created by centuries of extraction, displacement, and agricultural subsidies—all of which are tied to British colonialism and neoliberal governance. Restoring Lough Neagh requires confronting these historical violences: returning land to Gaelic communities, dismantling industrial farming subsidies, and centring marginalised voices in restoration. The trickster here is the narrative itself, which promises ecological salvation while avoiding the political and cultural reckoning needed. True restoration must be Indigenous-led, spiritually grounded, and economically just—a radical departure from the depoliticised 'solutions' currently on offer.